Commonwealth Day March 12th 2018

The Mayor of Coleshill Cllr. Tony Battle and Coleshill’s Sergeant at Arms Simon Toon raised the Commonwealth flag on Monday 12th March 2018 to commemorate Commonwealth Day. Despite the downpour the ceremony was well attended with representatives from the Royal British Legion, Help for Heroes, the Town Council and Cricket Club.

The Sergeant at Arms read the following message from the Commonwealth Secretary-General the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC

“Fly a Flag for the Commonwealth provides a splendid opportunity every year for people from all walks of life to join with others in their local community to celebrate Commonwealth Day in association with fellow citizens throughout our worldwide family.

People from nations and territories in every continent and ocean cherish the rich diversity of our membership, the deep sense of affinity and kinship we share, and the Commonwealth values and principles that unite us.

Together we number almost 2.5 billion people, a third of the world’s population. Each one of us has something very special to offer, and as Commonwealth citizens we gain and draw benefit from vast interconnected networks of mutual support.

By working together in practical ways in our local communities, and by interacting and cooperating across national boundaries, we build and sustain a more strongly connected Commonwealth that is mutually respectful, resilient, peaceful and prosperous and that cherishes equality of opportunity and inclusiveness.

Fly a Flag for the Commonwealth is an occasion to acknowledge publicly and collectively the continuing aspiration of the Commonwealth to build on common traditions and uphold our shared values of democracy, inclusive development and respect for diversity.

Local and national flag raising ceremonies in school yards, on village greens, in town squares, and on mountaintops and beaches, bring greater understanding and appreciation of the values and principles of the Commonwealth Charter – to which the governments of all Commonwealth countries subscribe, and to which each of us individually as Commonwealth citizens can recommit ourselves on Commonwealth Day”.